Chapter One Hundred and Sixty-Two: The Person He Should Have Thanked (1/2)
“Chief Xiao, what a coincidence! I was just looking for you. There’s a few problems with the design of the collaboration merchandise…”
“I fixed that yesterday. The files are already on the company network.”
“As expected of Chief Xiao! Could I take a picture with my idol?”
“……”
“Guru, guru, you’re here for lunch? Would you like to eat with us?”
“Erm… I didn’t come down to eat. I came to look for the Director.”
“Sure, sure, no problem Guru. Don’t worry about us. Oh, seeing that you’re already here, could you give me your autograph?”
“……”
“Chief Xiao—”
“Guru—”
In the time in which Xiao Yu had come down from the thirtieth floor to look for the Director, Xiao Yu had been stopped fourteen or fifteen times by admiring designers and fans from other departments for pictures and autographs. It was like he was some film star.
Xiao Yu finally made it to Director Wang’s office.
“Director Wang, I’ve completed the task as requested.”
“Good, good. You’re very reliable. Little Xiao, you’ve been here for over a month now. How does it feel?”
“Pretty good. Things are moving pretty smoothly.”
“Pretty smoothly” didn’t really do justice to the current situation. In reality, starting from Xiao Yu’s first day, work had progressed unimaginably well.
Coming to YL, Xiao Yu had had two primary worries. Would he be criticized for his past history and identity? Would he be able to adapt to the high-paced environment of YL’s workplace after spending almost an entire year at home? Fortunately, his worries were baseless.
YL employees and outsiders alike paid far more attention to him being the mystery designer than his title as SI’s ex-chief designer. As a result, Xiao Yu was treated like a celebrity, and Xiao Yu’s own performance increased from the support.
This was most evident in how contract deals were selected. Put nicely, SI’s decisions were made by gathering everyone’s opinions. However, the unpleasant truth was that the higher-ups were the sole decision-makers. In the end, everyone else including Xiao Yu had to obey whatever the board of directors and the chairman said. Sometimes, the results were quite unfortunate and regrettable, like with the design contest about the client’s confession on the ferry boat [TLN: See Chapter 26.].
On the other hand, at YL, the internal culture was already quite democratic, and Yan Jin pursued a policy of laissez-faire. Furthermore, even compared to the board of directors, Yan Jin held enormous power that prevented other higher-ups from interfering too much in decisions. As a result, YL’s accepted work orders depended heavily on the collective employees’ opinions. Because everyone was very willing to listen to the mystery designer, Xiao Yu found it very easy to choose the projects he wanted to work on instead of being controlled by the company.
As before, Xiao Yu’s genius-like capability best manifested itself when Xiao Yu was free to work on what he pleased. Therefore, YL was undoubtedly the best place for him.
Since he was so motivated, Xiao Yu’s efficiency and performance was extraordinary. He wasn’t affected by a year of being away from work and regained the passion that he had while studying overseas. Every night, he’d bring home his computer, unwilling to stop working. After Yan Jin had exhausted all other methods to get him to sleep earlier, he was forced to resort to using his own sexual appeal.
“It’s already eleven,” Yan Jin reported in a timely manner while lying on the bed.
“I already said to give me another half an hour.” Xiao Yu’s hands didn’t stop moving. Annoyed, he added, “This is the project that we’re collaborating with Master Andy on. Do you even realize what this means?!”
Yan Jin gave him a blank stare.
“This signifies YL’s step onto the international stage. Do you realize how much of an honor it is to be able to work with someone of Master Andy’s caliber? We’re collaborating with the top designer of the twenty-first century. Do you realize…?”
Displeased, Yan Jin listened to Xiao Yu’s rant. It was one of the few times his lover’s words went in one ear and out the other.
This was the third time Yan Jin had heard Xiao Yu irritatedly rant to him while praising Master Andy to the high heavens. He’d been trying to get Xiao Yu to shower and go to sleep since ten o’clock. Each time, Xiao Yu had asked for another half-hour while looking at his tablet.
This was already the third half-hour.
“Do you realize how strict Master Andy is with design drafts? If I go to sleep now, then…”
Yan Jin sighed.
Of course he knew.
In all of City S, there would only be one opportunity to collaborate with Andy Gibson. To many, it seemed very reasonable to select YL as the company to work with. However, it was also extremely fortunate. After all, YL had only recently risen to prominence. If the opportunity had come one year earlier, it would have certainly fallen to SI.